Shock tactics have been part of the scenery of the fundraising landscape for decades, but it is a fine line between generating support and garnering negative feedback (or getting banned by the Advertising Standards Authority), says Stephen Cotterill.

It is the Holy Grail of fundraising: landing that lifelong major donor with bottomless pockets. But just because they have money, doesn’t mean they are going to give any of it away. Major donor fundraising is a tricky business, requiring skill, passion and patience, says Stephen Cotterill.